South Korea declares AI literacy a 'basic competency' — and expands AI schools to 4,000
At a policy briefing on Tuesday, South Korea's education ministry said AI literacy and utilization will be designated a basic competency of the AI era in national education, alongside reading literacy, democratic citizenship and social-emotional skills. The ministry also plans to grow the number of AI-focused and AI-leading schools from 3,307 this year to 4,000 next year, part of a wider plan to foster AI talent 'across all stages of life.'
Why it mattersKorea is one of the few countries writing AI skills into the definition of basic education itself rather than treating them as an elective. With thousands of schools in the program, it is becoming the live, national-scale test of AI schooling that education ministries elsewhere are watching.
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